Fading Memories
by lilsnjamesy
Summary: Remus Lupin decides to give Harry a present....a present that has been with him for many years.Harry is curious to find out what it is....and when he does, he's the happiest person in the world!Please read and review...


_**Hope all of you enjoy this. I dreamt about it and decide to write a story!!!**_

**Fading Memories**

"Harry, come with me. I want to give you something."

"Yes, Remus?"

"Follow me," said Remus, turning around and going into his room in Shell Cottage. He was staying there for a few days, and had left Tonks with her mother.

Harry followed him silently, wondering what he was going to receive. Remus Lupin wasn't rich; it can't have been easy for him to get a gift.

"Here you are, Harry," Remus gave him a small bottle swirling with a silvery substance.

"Uh…what exactly is this?" asked Harry. The substance looked strangely familiar to him, and yet he couldn't place it.

"They're some memories of your parents…..I thought you may like to see them. Do you want to see them now….with me?" asked Remus uncertainly.

"Yes…..if you could come with me, it would be great. Then you can explain anything I don't understand. But do you have a pensieve?"

"I actually bought one the other day…"

"Let's go then. By the way, where do the memories start?"

"There are five memories altogether, starting from our seventh year."

"Where's the pensieve?" asked Harry, excited.

Remus turned around and took it out from the cabinet behind him. Taking the bottle from Harry, he poured the swirling substance into the pensieve and asked Harry if he was ready. When Harry nodded, they both plunged headlong into the silvery substance.

Harry and Remus were in a broom closet. Two boys next to them were whispering furiously, apparently waiting for something. Harry moved closer to try and hear what they were saying.

"I'm telling you, Moony, it's tonight."

"I didn't say that I didn't believe you, Padfoot. I just said that I don't know whether James will have the guts to do it….he's been acting so quiet and unlike himself this year."

"Don't lie, Moony! You didn't believe me!"

"Whatever, Padfoot! And why are we in this particular closet?"

Sirius sighed in an exasperated way, "I told you, Moony. This is the place where James first asked Lily out."

"So that doesn't mean anything. And you didn't tell me!"

"Of course it means something. Prongs told me that he'll ask her out here."

"You mean Prongs knows that we're hiding here?"

"Uh…not exactly. What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"Padfoot, you're impossible. And how do you know that she'll say yes?"

"They're friends now…..best friends actually. Hey, that means I've been left out!"

"You're right…Lily seems to really like Prongs now. And Paddy, you've not been left out!"

"Don't call me Paddy!"

"Whatever!"

"Shh….they'll be here soon."

Harry looked at Remus and smiled. Remus smiled back and motioned for him to be quiet. Harry looked back confused until he heard footsteps approaching the closet.

"Lily?" asked a voice uncertainly. Harry recognized the voice as his father's.

The footsteps stopped abruptly.

"Yes, James?" Harry's stomach gave a jolt at hearing his mother's soft voice.

"Um...Lily…um…"

"James? Are you alright?"

"Lily, I was wondering…um…"

Harry heard Sirius' voice next to him encouraging James, though of course James couldn't hear.

"James, are you sure you're alright?"

"Lily, will you go out with me?"

It finally came out in one breath. Harry heard his mother gasp.

"Yes," came the soft reply.

"What?" asked James.

"Yes, I would love to go out with you."

"Really?"

Harry didn't hear a reply and wondered what had happened. He saw Sirius open the door.

"Aww….Moony they're kissing!"

Remus and Sirius went out of the closet, and Harry followed. He saw his parents kissing. James had his arm around Lily's waist, pulling her closer, and Lily's arms were around James' neck, playing with his hair. Harry was reminded of Ginny and the way both of them held each other in exactly the same positions.

Remus was now tugging on Sirius' arm, "Come on….let's go…."

Sirius didn't go quietly, trying to get out of Remus' grip down the whole corridor.

"Moony, let me go. Come on…I want to watch this."

"They're just snogging. It's not like..."

"You're giving me no choice, Moony!" interrupted Sirius. "Prongsie and Lily sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage….." he shouted.

"Shut up right now!" Remus tried to calm Sirius down, but James and Lily had already broken apart and were standing there looking very embarrassed.

"So finally got her, Prongs, mate?"

"Moony, can u please get Sirius' arse out of this corridor before I hex him into the next universe?"

"I want to go to the next universe!"

Lily laughed lightly and entwined her hand with James'. James grinned and said, "Moony…"

"At your service, Prongs." Remus bowed and left, dragging a wailing Sirius behind him. He turned back once more just in time to see James and Lily start another snogging session, one by the looks of it, that would probably continue late into the night.

Remus and Harry went through many swirling shapes and a lot of silvery mist before finally standing on the road leading to Hogsmeade.

Harry could hear voices next to him, talking in low tones.

Remus tapped him on the shoulder, "It's Sirius and I; we're following James and Lily to Hogsmeade. It's their first date and Sirius thought it would be a good idea to go along. We're under the Invisibility Cloak."

Harry looked in front of him and saw his parents walking hand in hand, Lily's head on James' shoulder. They were talking animatedly and Lily was laughing, no doubt at some joke that James had just made.

They had now reached the main street of Hogsmeade. It was packed with Hogwarts students, some in big groups and some in pairs.

"Where do you want to go, Lils?"

"Anywhere….should we go to The Three Broomsticks and have a butterbeer?"

"Sure."

After finding a table, James pulled out a chair for Lily and then sat opposite her. Lily giggled softly.

"Why are you giggling, Flower?"

Lily giggled some more and then said, "Because you're acting like a gentleman….which is so unlike you. And I also like all your pet names for me."

James just smiled and took a sip of butterbeer. They talked about school for a little bit until suddenly, "Ouch! James, don't do that!"

"Do what?" asked James puzzled.

"Kick me under the table."

"But I didn't do that."

"It has to be you….you're the only other person at the table!"

"But….."

"Forget it….just don't do it again."

Harry looked at Remus as the conversation continued and grinned. He had a feeling he knew who had kicked his mom.

And then again, "Oww…..someone just hit me on my head."

"That certainly wasn't me…..I'm sitting opposite you."

"Well then who was it?"

"I don't know…."

"James…"

"Um…."

James eyes suddenly brightened. He motioned for Lily to stay quiet and made a lunge across the table. There was a loud groan until Remus and Sirius emerged from under the cloak.

"Hi, Prongs, Lily…." Sirius grinned sheepishly.

"Padfoot, what are you doing here? And you, Moony? I thought you had more sense!"

"Well…"

Lily intervened, "You both are here because you wanted to see how our first date would go? Because I've never said yes to him before?"

When both the boys nodded, Lily just sighed, "Well, it's okay…..but can you go now? I'd like some time _alone_ with James!"

Remus and Sirius practically flew out the door, and turned back to see what had happened. They saw Lily and James laughing their heads off. Lily saw them looking and waved. Grinning sheepishly, Remus and Sirius made their way down the street.

The next memory came pretty quickly. Harry and Remus now stood in the Great Hall. It was packed with students of all ages, and teachers running up and down to make sure everything was okay.

"It's graduation," Remus told Harry. "Both your parents give a speech."

Harry nodded and turned back to the crowd. Dumbledore was now calling for silence.

"Another year gone by….and a new year will come too. Hogwarts will miss the people who are leaving and will welcome the old and the new. But enough of my speech….I would now like to call James Potter and Lily Evans up to give their respectable speeches as Head Boy and Girl."

The crowd applauded as Lily went up first.

"Uh…hi everyone. My seven years at Hogwarts have been the best of my life. I have learned so much here…and to those of you, who are only in your first year, enjoy your stay here as much as you can. And to those of you who are ending….remember all the times you've had at Hogwarts….take those experiences out into the world, and share them and help people who haven't had these experiences learn. What I'm trying to say…enjoy your years at Hogwarts and learn from your experiences here. Thank you!"

Lily smiled at the crowd and got off the stage, while James went up.

"Lily has said pretty much everything I wanted to say. And all of you must be wondering how I ever got to be Head Boy…..even I wonder now. Thanks, Professor Dumbledore for giving me this experience. I have learned a lot from it. Enjoy your years at Hogwarts, everybody! Don't waste them!"

The crowd applauded once more as James ended his speech. James cleared his throat once more, and the crowd became silent.

"I have another thing to say," he looked at Professor Dumbledore and Dumbledore gave him an encouraging smile. "Lily….these past few months that I've been dating you have been amazing. I don't want us to ever end. Lily Evans, you are the most beautiful person I've ever met, both inside and outside. Lily, will you marry me?"

The crowd gasped as Lily ran up and kissed James on the lips.

"Yes…"

James took out a box and slipped a ring onto Lily's finger. They smiled at each other and came off the stage. Sirius and Remus were wolf-whistling, and the rest of the crowd was clapping hard.

Lily and James, oblivious to all of this, exited to the Hogwarts grounds.

As Harry and Remus waited for the next memory, Remus asked, "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah….it's nice to see the way my parents acted and to hear their voices….."

"I'm glad…"

They were now standing in a church. The church was quite empty, except for Lily, James, Sirius, Remus and four other people whom Harry recognized as Lily's and James' parents. A Reverend was also standing at one end.

"This is their wedding," whispered Remus to Harry. "Not many people came….they wanted a small wedding. And they had a Muggle one in honor of Lily's parents. Your Aunt Petunia refused to come." Harry grinned…..his aunt hated her sister.

Lily was wearing a bride's dress. It was white with lace and fitted her perfectly. Her dark red hair was let loose on her shoulders and her green eyes sparkled with excitement.

Her father led her down the aisle to James, who stood there looking nervous. When Lily reached him, he took her hand and they both turned to the Reverend.

"We are gathered here today….."

Harry didn't listen to anything else the Reverend was saying. He was too preoccupied looking at his parents.

"My parents…" he thought to himself and sighed.

"Do you, James Harold Potter, take Lily Marian…?"

Harry's grandparents were crying quietly. Harry smiled to himself.

"…I declare you bonded for life."

There was a round of applause and everyone went to congratulate the newly weds. James and Lily Potter exited the church and got into a car waiting for them. Waving goodbye to everyone, the car set off to take them for their honeymoon.

The first thing Harry saw in the next memory was himself crawling on the floor with his father chasing him. Lily was behind both of them, laughing.

It was Christmas. He could make out from all the decorations on the house. Also, his father was wearing something that looked like it belonged to Santa Claus.

Remus leant down and said, "This was before you all went into hiding. Oh…we used to have so much fun then."

Just then Sirius came into the room and ran to Harry and bundled him in his arms, "I'll protect you from Mr. Evil…..don't worry, Harry…..Padfoot is here."

James started laughing and Lily joined him. Harry started pulling Sirius' nose.

"Ouch…ouch…Harry, stop!!!! I'm protecting you…."

"I doubt anyone near you is safe from anything," said a new voice.

"Shut up, Moony! You always discourage me."

"Hmm…."

"Give Harry to me, Padfoot. He needs to go to bed."

"But Lilykins…" whined Sirius, "it's only 10 o' clock."

"Padfoot…..what did I tell you?" asked James sternly.

"Uh…not to listen to you?" said Sirius innocently.

"Merlin, you need to be taken to a hospital and kept there for the rest of your life."

"You didn't mean that Jamesiepoo…did you? You'll miss your little Padfoot, won't you?"

"No I won't miss you. And don't call me Jamesiepoo!"

"But Lilykins calls you Jamesiepoo!"

"Lily's different, Padfoot. And don't call her Lilykins….only I get that honor!" James grinned evilly.

"Fine…all of you want to gang up against me. But Harry's on my side, aren't you?" Harry laughed and pulled Sirius' nose harder.

"See….even Harry's against you!" said Lily. "Now…give him to me and I'll put him to sleep."

"But it's only ten!"

"Which is exactly the point! It's ten and way past Harry's bedtime."

"I won't give him to you!"

"Padfoot…."said James.

"Fine….I surrender."

Sirius handed Harry to Lily. Harry gladly went to his mother and put his head on her shoulder.

"I'll be down soon."

When Lily came down, the three Marauders were playing Exploding Snap.

"Guys….I'm going to bed. I'm feeling sleepy."

"Already, Lily?"

"Mmm….goodnight all," she leant down and gave James a kiss on the lips, but James didn't let it go at that. Lily ended up on top of James, both of them kissing more passionately than the other.

"Eww….guys, get a room!" cried Sirius to no avail.

"Padfoot, I think we should go now," said Remus quietly.

"For once, Moony, I think you're right! Bye, guys."

James and Lily still didn't seem to hear them as they left. Remus shut the door quietly, and he and Sirius headed down the path, not knowing that this was the last Christmas spent with the Potters.

Harry and Remus came out of the pensieve. Harry was smiling his head off.

"By the look on your face, I gather you enjoyed it!"

"Thanks, Remus."

Remus smiled at him, "You're welcome. You can keep all of them as I said before."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"I can never thank you enough!"

"It's my pleasure, Harry. Now go…enjoy yourself."

Harry seemed to debate with himself before he did what he did next. Hugging Remus, he ran out of the room.

Remus Lupin smile to himself, sank down in a chair, and relived the memories he had just seen.

_**Hope you all liked it. Reviews will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!**_


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